Paddle Australia’s International season update

With just one week to go until the 2025 ICF Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Milan, Italy, and just under 50 days to go until the ICF Slalom World Championships Sydney 2025 set to arrive in Penrith at the end of September – High Performance Director Brendan Purcell shared his views on how the season is tracking so far. 

CANOE SPRINT AND PARACANOE

With the Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 and 2 regattas raced and done, the Senior Australian Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe team are currently preparing for the 2025 ICF Sprint World Championships in Milan from 18-24 August.

Purcell said the World Cup races at the start of the season were a great opportunity for the Aussies to test their progress against high quality international competition.

“Leading into this season, we made a number of changes to personnel and structure in our Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe programs, to set us up for success in this new Olympic and Paralympic cycle,” Purcell said.

“One of the biggest changes was bringing together the men’s and women’s training groups, to create a more cohesive team environment. Renowned sprint kayaking coach, Jimmy Owens, now heads up both programs bringing a new level of sophistication to the programs.  

“In the daily training environment on the Gold Coast, and at the World Cup events earlier this year, we have seen the benefits of this resulting in a strong team culture,” he said.

Following the Senior World Cup events, a number of athletes were afforded the opportunity to race at the Junior and U23 World Championships, held in Portugal in late July.

“We were proud to see a number of the athletes that competed at the senior World Cup events back up and race at the Junior and U23 World Championships – another fantastic opportunity for them to race against international competition,” Purcell said.

“To see Natalia Drobot (a NSWIS scholarship holder) win a gold medal, the silver medal performance of the U23 K4 women and Pierre’s bronze medal in the U23 men’s K1 was a great outcome for our team,” he said.

Under the guidance of Head Coach Jimmy Owens, Paddle Australia has selected seven Canoe Sprint and three Paracanoe athletes to compete at the Senior World Championships.

“Preparations are tracking well for Milan, with our team currently based at the AIS European Training Centre in Italy where the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe programs are training together,” Purcell said.

“We’re excited to welcome back Aly Bull to our team for the World Championships, who brings a wealth of experience and plays a significant leadership role amongst the group.

“We’re less than three weeks away from the event, and I look forward to seeing what our team can produce,” he said.

Beyond competition, Paddle Australia was also pleased to see three-time Olympian Riley Fitzsimmons (a NSWIS scholarship holder) support the World Cup team in a coaching role.

With Fitzsimmons currently on a break from competition following his silver medal performance at the Paris Olympic Games, it was a great opportunity for him to remain connected to the team in a different capacity.

“Riley played a key role in supporting the athletes new to the Senior ranks, bringing the athlete understanding of what is required from their side to compete and race at their best,” Purcell said.

“It was beneficial for both sides, with Riley gaining a great respect and understanding for what goes into a coaching role at a major campaign.

“Thank you to Riley for jumping on board with this professional development opportunity, and we can’t wait to see you on the water again soon,” he said.

CANOE SLALOM

Australia’s Canoe Slalom athletes are currently training in Australia, with a break in the competition season between World Cups 1-3 and 4-5.

In an exciting year for the sport, with the World Championships being held down under from September 29 – 4 October, Purcell said Aussies are well placed to deliver strong performances at a home World Championships. 

“Once again, Jess Fox (NSWIS) has proven that she is a true champion – with two gold and one bronze medals in the World Cup season so far. This combined with her extensive off-water commitments following her gold medal winning performances at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, makes the results even more remarkable. 

“Olympian Lucien Delfour (NSWIS) has also stood on the podium twice this season, with two bronze medals in the men’s K1.

“But it has been just as pleasing to see the positive results of our whole team so far this season – some athletes making their first finals berth at a World Cup, Tristan Carter’s fourth place finish in Prague… our team has certainly been impressive so far.

“It has been great to see how teams – athletes, coaches and support staff – rise to this challenge and commit to achieving the best outcome for our program,” he said.

The team has been in Australia for a solid training block, and will start to head back overseas from next weekend.

“With the World Championships being held in Australia this year, our athletes have the opportunity to capitalise on the home ground advantage, and so have chosen to return to train at Penrith Whitewater Stadium at a time of year when they would typically be in Europe,” Purcell said.

“Despite the cold temperatures in the midst of winter, our team have been able to get in some solid on water time, all leading towards the World Championships in September,” he said. 

Ten athletes will compete on the Australian team at the 2025 ICF Slalom World Championships. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketek, starting at just $15 for kids and $30 for adults. Don’t miss your chance to witness the world’s best take on Penrith’s wild water. Click here to secure your seat.

Paddle Australia